No picture through BBC iPlayer and Netflix apps when on channel whose transmission has ended

I have noticed a little gremlin in the system. Often I come downstairs after putting my kids to bed and go directly onto Netflix or BBC iPlayer. When I start a program, I can hear the audio but receive no picture.

I have since discovered that the reason is the TV channel is tuned to Youview channel 205, Cbeebies. The transmission on this channel ends at 1900 hrs each day. If I switch to a channel that is currently being broadcast, such as 101, BBC1, then reload Netflix, the sound and picture start successfully.

This is an issue I have been having for many months. It is only now I have remembered to comment on the forum. It occurs on other channels whose transmission has ended, such as 204 CBBC. It affects BBC iPlayer, Netflix. Not tested on other apps.

Comments

Nobody else has reported this problem, AFAICT, and I cannot reproduce it at all on my T2000. Not on CBeebies at 22:00, nor on several other channels that are not currently broadcasting.

So I think it is a strictly local issue with your box, albeit a real one; this is the sort of strange thing YouView boxes do when their running software goes ever so slightly awry.

Have you tried a soft reset? Touch the On/Standby button on the left of the fascia of the box (or the central ring if this is one of the early T10x0 models, shown by it having the mains go into the box, not via a power brick) for just over 8 seconds until it soft reboots.

If this does not cure it, we can walk you through a more drastic Maintenance Mode Reset - though one which will still preserve your recordings, at least.

‘Does television exist for us to watch, or do we exist to watch television?’ - Noah Hawley

I appreciate you testing this out. I reset the box but the fault remains.

I tried switching the channel to 205 and using Netflix and it worked fine.

The issue seems to be if the tv has been left on 205 when the transmission ended.

Live broadcasting ends at 1900 hrs on channel 205 and 2100 hrs on channel 204.

I think if you were to turn to channel 204 at 2058, switch off Youview box into standby. Wait 2 minutes for the broadcast to end, then turn on Youview and directly attempt to access Netflix without changing channel, you may see the issue.

I certainly did not try the exact recipe you describe; but I’m abroad at the moment, so it may be tricky to reproduce, even though I have a T1000 here and can get the BBC iPlayer (and maybe Netflix too now it isn’t allowed to block on geo-location any more), as I would need a Spanish channel that goes off-air like CBeebies does.

I wonder if @Sarah can get some kind soul at YouView Towers to check this out, as we have no other reports here than mine; which, as you say, did not test the more fully qualified problem statement.

‘Does television exist for us to watch, or do we exist to watch television?’ - Noah Hawley

Thanks for trying the things Roy suggested. We've not heard of the same issue happening to others before so it does seem to be a localised issue however we are interested to hear from others if they are also experiencing the same thing or can recreate the same problem.

Have you tried doing the same from other channels which have cut off times like CBeebies such as Pop Max (9pm-6am), CBBC (9pm-7am) and C-ITV (6pm-6am) to see if the same thing happens with those as well?

The same thing happened on a channel currently being broadcast, so it must be something else. I don't want to hard reset my box if it means losing my recordings and scheduled recordings. I can live with it. If I discover what is triggering it, I will report back.

Give it a go, choosing the instructions for your particular box, and following them carefully.

It will preserve your recordings, and I am told that your Scheduled recordings will slowly creep back onto your box from the cloud, though you will need to retune, and to reestablish any non-standard Settings, and any App pairings.

But I think it worth it, if your box has gone individually strange, or even if it hasn’t and you can come back and say ‘Hey, real problem’.

‘Does television exist for us to watch, or do we exist to watch television?’ - Noah Hawley